Grassley hopes weather improves for farmers

Many Iowa farmers are frustrated at how late the harvest is taking place this year due to prolonged rainy, chilly weather and one of the wettest, coldest Octobers on record. Some growers are a full month behind schedule with the harvest. Among the agitated farmers is — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who farms near the northeast Iowa town of New Hartford.

“As the weather in Iowa turns drier over the next week, it’ll be a very critical time in getting our crops out of the fields,” Grassley says. “There’s a good chance we’ll see combines, semis, tractors, wagons and grain carts running 24 hours a day.” Grassley says the better weather means the pace of the harvest is finally picking up and he urges all Iowans to exercise caution.

He reminds people: “As the long days turn into nights, there’ll be even more chances for accidents to happen. The Iowa highways and county and gravel roads will be full of slow-moving machinery and it’s important that we’re all aware of our surroundings and to make this push to get our crops out of the fields a safe one.” Statewide, only about 15-percent of the corn crop has been harvested, the slowest pace since 1967.

Grassley says about 60% of his soybeans are harvested, just slightly ahead of the statewide pace. Grassley considers himself one of only two working farmers in the U.S. Senate.